Latest update to iOS 17 put a big gray poster background with white font on each of my contacts. Unless they used a custom photo, it is nearly impossible to read.
For clarification, I’m an older adult and my eyes aren’t what they used to be so most of my settings are set to a black background with a gray font.
Has anyone figured out how to change that gray poster box without having to do it on each contact one at a time?
I found you can select a background color instead of that light gray. Black is not available but I did choose a darker gray, which helps me see the white writing:
Go to Contacts on your iPhone. Select the person whose contact page you want to change. (I guess we need to do each one individually, maybe someone can show us how to change it for every contact at once? )
At your contact's page, select 'Contact Photo & Poster.' Select 'Customize' and a choice pops up. Select 'Poster.'
Now, at the bottom left, select that circle O. And up pops Background Colors. I chose the dark gray all the way at the bottom right. And then below that is a slide bar where you can make the gray lighter or even darker. I slid that right to maximum dark. Then I hit the X to close the background color popup. Finally, at the very top right I selected 'Done.'
Hope this helps!
I found you can select a background color instead of that light gray. Black is not available but I did choose a darker gray, which helps me see the white writing:
Go to Contacts on your iPhone. Select the person whose contact page you want to change. (I guess we need to do each one individually, maybe someone can show us how to change it for every contact at once? )
At your contact's page, select 'Contact Photo & Poster.' Select 'Customize' and a choice pops up. Select 'Poster.'
Now, at the bottom left, select that circle O. And up pops Background Colors. I chose the dark gray all the way at the bottom right. And then below that is a slide bar where you can make the gray lighter or even darker. I slid that right to maximum dark. Then I hit the X to close the background color popup. Finally, at the very top right I selected 'Done.'
Hope this helps!
I called Apple support and you can change the background color by hitting edit one the contact then the edit picture and then chose color or for some of them I didn’t have that option so had to hit monogram ( put the first letter in the first circle) then pick the color you want. Each one has to be done individually but for my 95 year old mother I had to do it. Fortunately her iPad and phone are connected so at least I only had to do it on the phone.
txserval wrote:
I have some color blindness and the newest update has rendered my contact list extremely difficult to read. How can I reverse it?
You cannot reverse it. However, you may want to explore some of the settings in Settings>Accessiblity>Vision., for example, Settings>Accessibility>Display & Text Sizes>Differentiate Without Color.
They finally fixed this issue in 17.4!
Thank you.
FeliciaCommunity wrote:
If you want to take away all color from our contact list at least give us the option to get it back the former way it was. It shouldn’t have been forced upon the people that don’t want it. Different strokes for different folks!! Not fair!!
I don't want to do anything with your contacts.
Apple doesn't read here in this user-to-user technical support forum for feedback or suggestions. You can, however, let them know your thoughts here:
Meanwhile, an option is to use Siri to make calls. Then you don't have to look at the screen at all.
I spoke to the Apple support line. Got bumped up to the second level who commiserated with me and agreed there was no way to return to them previous contact display. She indicated she would push it up the line. It definitely is a heavy lift?
I am sure Apple had some good reasons in their mind to make this change. However, I wonder if they understood how aggravated a segment of the Apple user community would be. One thing they might consider doing is putting out a beta test version of items they feel would make a better customer experience to get real feedback from the user community.
Do we know if Apple personnel monitor this website? Would be a good chance for them to see in real time if their house is on fire
GeorgenBalt wrote:
Is there a way to contact Apple to change it back- or an option for all the contacts at once going back to the way it was?
You can give Apple feedback about what you'd like to see in the future here:
But no, there is no way to go back to a previous version of iOS.
Just put your finger on bottom of it and drag it up until u don’t see it u will have to do that each time.. it’s so unnecessary to hv changed. When it was fine before.”mind over madness” I guess.
BobUlius wrote:
Not true. I showed above I have done it to all my contacts but VERY time consumming.
Most people are asking how to change Contacts so that it doesn't appear that way at all. Previous attempts to explain that it can be done on a per-contact basis have been met with derision.
And if I can do it, Apple can change it easily.
Of course Apple can change it. However, we have no indication that they are planning on doing so at this time. And, Apple doesn't read here for feedback or suggestions. I suggest that if you want them to know your thoughts, you send them feedback:
I have the same problem… But I have around 600+ contacts and I’m not about to go through all of them and sort out whom doesn’t have a poster setup and manually edit each one to fix this. How can I do a quick edit all/edit default color of names or backgrounds?
This would indeed be very very helpful.
In addition to that request it would be nice to have a setting that disables the new default contact ID view that takes a lot of screen space just for style.
I would really prefer the old style where you don‘t have to scroll so much to see all essential contact information on one screen… I use this for business and I think a lot of us would like to have this setting to make it more convenient and practical again.
What were they thinking! The new contact display is both jarring and difficult to read. The choice of font size and brightness/contrast of different elements is terrible. I don't have pictures for most of my contacts, and probably never will, and yet this display design seems to assume that is the normal usage.
My eyes are perfectly fine, so that's not the issue.
This grey on the contact list is awful. Why did it have to be changed? Not to be able to change all contacts to same color at one time is ridiculous! I hate grey and I do not like this change. It was not needed nor helpful. Please put it the way it was or give the coloring on main screen.
I have the iPhone 12 Pro Max when the new update of the 17 came up what the heck were they thinking the contacts phone contacts all of my contacts had photos with their name and number and then when you called them or they called you their picture would be full on my screen Well they screwed it up. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. They’ve covered up the picture with a gray color then when you go to your contacts to call someone, they have a little round picture of them and some of the colors are gray black green brown what the This is crazy they say do a photo or a poster. I had photos with every contact person on my phone I do not like this everyone else didn’t like it and some people said they didn’t want to take hundreds of contacts and change it one by one it needs to go back the way it was this is a real mess. I don’t like it and a lot of other people don’t like it. I like to look at my family my friends , you can keep your gray off of their picture and also on the contact all of these many colors when you go to their name to call them it’s green it’s brown it’s black it’s gray with a little photo there and their name and their number please put it back like it was. I am sick and tired of updates and they are changing stuff I would like to see you people to put it back the way it was and so many other hundreds of people that don’t like it either. Please change it back and if some people like to change, let them have the option to change it to the new look or leave it alone like it is we like it the old way it was this gray covering up the person body on the phone you can’t see them cause it’s smoky grayed out give people a choice leave it like it is or go to the new look.
iOS 17 Default Contact Screen Difficult to Read
